Across the Mediaverse

Reworked, Re:Words

2010-11-02T02:02:53Z

The clever film Words by Everynone is screening at Future Shorts ONE this Saturday.

The filmmakers involved have re-created their short film by using similar footage found only on youtube, calling it Re:Words.

The things you can find on the internet these days...

WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Re:WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Future Shorts ONE Preview Look

2010-10-26T07:19:28Z

Future Shorts are about to screen the largest short film event in the world. The global re-launch ONE is set to unite 12 countries, simultaneously screening the same short films on the same night. Combining film with music, digital design and performance, Future Shorts Australia is set to expand across the country after the re-launch next month.

I've been lucky enough to see a preview screening of FS ONE, and what excites me more than anything is the range of countries, cultures and skills that create a Future Shorts short film.

Something that might sound a little familiar starts the event with Aussie band Temper Trap and their music video, Love Lost. The young boys running through cold British mud is lightened only by their miming and dance expressions. You finish the film feeling almost jealous of the tomfoolery and mud antics they find themselves enjoying. It's an exercise regime turned rhythmic gymnastics - with some pyrotechnics thrown in too.

The most memorable short for me - and I'm sure I won't be alone - is the American film Words. Almost filmed as a domino effect, this short is edited together clip by clip, transitioning scenes through a series of words. The simple action of a phone connection breaking moves in an instant to the silent acknowledgement of a couple breaking up. The subtle visual suggestions help your mind to register the connections, making Words a satisfying and unique film to watch.

1 - 2 - 3 - Break!

Other stand outs include Tussilago, a Swedish animation that explores a relationship (ala Bonnie & Clyde) that revolved around a German terrorist in the 70s. As well as the uplifting music video for Miike Snow's Burial - a combination of dance and spirituality set in the hectic streets of India.

Future Shorts ONE is going to be a great night out, with not only films to check out but heaps of live performances to keep everyone interested. Expect The Bakery to be packed.

7:30pm Saturday 6 November 2010
The Bakery, Northbridge
Check out the event online

Video Experiments

2010-10-26T02:20:34Z

Vimeo featured this homemade space experiment in their blog the other day. A guy in New York tied a digital camera to a weather balloon, included a GPS in order to retrieve the camera once it hurtled back to earth (with the help of a parachute), and this amazing footage was the result.

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

Have any of you experimented with video? We would love to see it. Post your links in the comments section, or if you have trouble email them to me at liz_sideris@fti.asn.au.

How Many Screenwriters Does It Take To Write A Screenplay?

2010-09-28T15:02:01Z

Feel like getting some inspiration for your next project? Or just feel like being part of a big experiment?

Lets Film is a global collaborative scriptwriting project.

You can read where the script is at so far and log in to contribute your own ideas.

Call for Zombies in Perth LINK Film

2010-09-20T16:02:04Z

FTI funded and local Perth film Perished is making a call for zombies, and want you to get involved! Give them a 60 second recording of your best living dead rendition for your chance to be filmed.

Perished: Amidst a viral outbreak a broken man finds refuge in a storage shed in order to escape his troubles, but accidentally traps himself inside. Isolated, alone and low on supplies, he is quickly stripped of all his humanity as he struggles to survive. As the days go by the deteriorated man must find the inner strength to escape, and finally confront his ultimate fear.

The Perished film shoot will take place between November 6th and November 12th 2010. All you need to record is a short video of you as a zombie, no more than 60sec in length, showing a close up of your face and a full body shot. Include a photo of yourself with your full name and the recorded zombie footage to perished.zombies@gmail.com

Deadline for zombies is 5:30pm Thursday 30 September 2010

This call for zombies got me thinking about horror films, or more so my love of this frightful sub-horror genre.

Whether you consider yourself a horror fan or not, chances are you've seen a zombie film or two in your lifetime. It could have been the old school Romero zombies of the 70s, or perhaps you're more familiar with the satirical hit from Edgar Wright. Either way, zombies are a part of that fantastical realm of midnight fantasies. Like watching the constant film rebirth of vampires and werewolves, the living dead have also been restyled throughout cinema history.

(BEWARE! While some of these clips may contain pretty unrealistic special effects and some questionable acting, they do contain graphic material)

Dawn of The Dead (1978) - Blue Zombies

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983) - Dancing Zombies

Re-Animator (1985) - Science Zombies

Shaun of the Dead (2004) - British Zombies

For further zombie inspiration, check out Planet Terror, Zombieland or 28 Days Later.

Old Film, New Music

2010-09-13T13:25:55Z

Music is a pretty integral element of filmmaking these days. Pre-released music soundtracks aside, the inclusion of an original composition to a film can make all the difference. Synonymous with the film, its the atmosphere of a scene; the emotions of characters or events reflected through music. But imagine perhaps, the silent film screenings of past generations. No dialogue, no recorded sound, no Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Just a pianist (sometimes an orchestral band) providing audiences with those vital emotional cues.

Old Film, New Music is a live performance and film experience in one. Perth band Viola Dana are livin' in the 20s, and taking audiences' back to the days of live soundtrack performances. Next month will include a screening of the 1926 silent film, The General.

A classic silent comedy, The General is set during the Amercian Civil War. Buster Keaton's character Johnnie Gray is unable to become a Confederate soldier as he is deemed more helpful in the war effort as the engineer of the train. However, his bravery doesn't go unnoticed as he single-handedly takes on the Union side in a plight to rescue both his engine and his girl. The General is often listed as one of the finest comedic films of all time, featuring beautifully crafted cinematic photography, a thrilling plot and Keaton's trademark dead-pan, perfectly timed comedic stunts.

The soundtrack - infused with Amercian folk tunes and the spontaneity of jazz improvisation - is there to help illuminate Keaton's masterful performance for a contemporary audiences. A preview of the performance:

Having performed at the 2009 Revelation Perth International Film Festival to rave reviews, Old Film, New Music is performing again in October. More

3pm and 6pm
Sunday 17 October 2010
Kidogo Arthouse, Bather's Beach, Fremantle

Mark It! Movie Reviews

2010-07-28T08:38:13Z

Mark It! is an exciting new podcast focusing on the effects of promotion and marketing on the expectations and understanding of two seasoned film goers. Each week Jonathon Miller and Adrian McFarlane, two experienced film geeks, give their before and after impressions of the biggest films going around.

This week was The Waiting City. Next week? Inception.

Good films, marketing geeks, and the website impressed me. I think I've found a new love.

Kimmel Doesn't Let Lack of Power Hold Him Back

2010-06-25T03:45:14Z

On Tuesday night in the US, Jimmy Kimmel's LA studio suffered some kind of weird power blackout. The alleged problem only affected the cameras though - everything else seemed to be working, including Kimmel's Macbook. So he just shot the show on that. Using Photo Booth.

Here's a clip.

The web is rife with discussion on whether the power problem was real or a stunt in conjunction with Apple. I do like Macworld's headline: Jimmy Kimmel's MacBook Saves The Day.

Stunt or creative thinking? Who knows. I really love my MacBook though.

Youtube turns 5!!

2010-05-19T09:17:29Z

They asked Conan O'Brien to pick his top 5 Youtube clips to celebrate.

Should we be scared of Facebook?

2010-05-19T02:24:17Z

There's been a lot of media coverage about the true intentions of Facebook lately. They want to own each and every one of us so they can sell our profiles to the higher bidder and we can be influenced to buy things.

What's new?

We've been having goods and services 'sold' to us ever since humans could communicate. Want is a powerful thing!

Also the media love to scare us.

It's good to remember that yes, whatever you post on your profile could possibly be seen by everyone in the world. But isn't this a good thing to keep in mind for most social interactions? The cyber world is not separate from the real world, it's now an everyday part of most people's lives. If you wouldn't say something in real life, why would you say it on Facebook?

However, if you are worried about internet privacy, here's a great article by Mashable on the subject.

Remember - you're in charge of your own privacy settings so make sure you know how to change them.

Six Questions with Nicole Lush, Trainee Animator on Time Trackers

2010-03-24T06:36:25Z

Nicole graduated from the diploma course in Animation at FTI in 2004. She followed her studies with Flash based work, before being attached to Raging Pixel Productions as a Trainee Animator. This position was funded through ScreenWest's Producer Enterprise Package, a fund designed to help facilitate the corporate and project development of active, local WA companies. With Raging Pixel, Nicole learnt After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator, doing motion graphics for TV commercials before working on The Big Picture and Time Trackers (Taylor Media/ Gibson Group), on which she received a screen credit of "Trainee Animator". FTI asked six questions of Nicole:

Image: Nicole Lush

How would you describe the animation sequences on Time Trackers?

Most of the animation was in the time/space shots of the ship flying between big glowy time nodes and connecting/disconnecting to the wormholes, so there was repetition in the work - the main purpose of the animation was to compliment the live action story. I don't think Time Trackers would have worked if it had been made up only of shots inside the ship with dialogue from the actors explaining what was happening outside. I have always felt that a little animation used properly is much more effective than a lot of animation used just because you can.

Who else was involved in making the animation sequences?

Gareth Lockett, the Technical Director, did the 3D animation components then he and Aaron Kennedy, the Animation Producer, would do the main 2D VFX work. As the shots progressed through the pipeline they would often get passed to me to do effects tracking and some effects work as layed out and designed by the technical director. The effects in each scene were repetitive: they involved making nodes pretty, making the ship propulsion lights shimmer, making the wormhole look realistic and not like some sort of giant time/space tree and adding masks, lots of masks. I used the initial scenes as a guide for consistency.

Image: Time Trackers - time background

There were a few shots that involved the wormhole connecting/ disconnecting to the base of the ship, through this shaft that had an edge, so you couldn't just use layers to cover up the wormhole. It had to be masked in, frame by frame. They were fun, and by fun I mean about an hour per shot with my face an inch away from the monitor flicking between low res footage - so I could work at a reasonable pace - and high res - so I could make sure I placed the mask correctly.

What was the production process like (Animation)?

I was on the tail end of the animation, so this is a general picture. Gareth and Aaron would receive the live action footage and a list of animated shots the director wanted for the scenes. Storyboards were created and once approved, Gareth would produce the 3D components for the animated sequences, and then these would be rendered out so that Aaron and myself could finalise the 2D effects like motion blur and camera depth of field passes. If it was a basic scene, for example, ship goes from right side of the screen to the left; I'd apply the light effects. If it was anything more complicated, Aaron and Gareth worked on those parts first, and I could then use this work as a template for subsequent similar scenes. It was tedious at times, because the work involved a lot of copy/ pasting effects from other scenes. However, I still found it fascinating; learning how much you can do with effects from what is basically a single piece of footage. It is really interesting how just adding a bit of a blur here, or a small light effect there can make a big difference to the overall look of something.

Image: Time Trackers - time virus

Which filmmakers/ animators are you inspired by?

I grew up watching Disney movies, so they were definitely a big inspiration for me. I'm a huge fan of traditional animation. The sheer amount of work that goes into producing one is insane. Not to say that CG animation isn't as much work, there's just something about an animation created by hand drawing in, frame by frame, each little movement that I find amazing and really beautiful.

More recently, Pixar and Weta Workshop/ Digital have been added to my list. Time and time again Pixar have been able to create movies that are both beautiful to look at and a story that you can listen to over and over again. I have watched 'Up' multiple times already and it still makes me cry every time, even though I know what's coming.

Weta are responsible for some of the most insane effects and props I have seen to date: just watch the 'behind the scenes' footage for District 9 to see for yourself. It's completely mental what they had to do to achieve the look and the effects for that movie. It's a dream of mine to visit either Pixar studios or Weta Workshop, preferably both.

What advice would you give someone about to make their next short project?

There will be delays. There will always be delays, but don't let this get you down. Stick to it, and don't be afraid to ask for help from all the people willing to give it. Listen to anyone that is willing to give you constructive criticism. Don't be afraid to try something different too. If you want to make a silent, stop motion animated expose on climate change using nothing but vegemite and a length of white plastic, then do so.

What does your role as Mentor of the Animation Centre's Schoolies project involve?

I was involved in the initial development of the project. I am now an occasional visitor who is available to give advice but Schoolies has a really talented group of people working on it who rarely require much assistance.

Are we ready for 3D television?

2010-01-18T14:19:34Z

The success of James Cameron's 'Avatar' has pushed 3D technology from the realm of geek discussion and the I-Max documentary into the forefront of a possible resurgance for cinema.

For years cinema had been facing off it's biggest challenger - the home theatre, but 3D cinema has enough pull to prize us away from our ginat plasma screens and lounges and into the auditorium again. 'Avatar' doesn't have the greatest story or acting - but it's visually wonderous - showcasing the possabilities of 3D cinema far more than previous documentaries or animations have.

Yet no sooner have cinemas found their potential saviour than the home version arrives, in the USA 3D televisions and cable channels are just around the corner. But will 3D techology only work for content that is spectactular? Sure the World Cup in 3D sounds appealling, but does anyone want to see 'Sunrise' with David Koch is 3D, or the Lotto results in 3D?

It's going to be called a Vook

2010-01-18T13:54:43Z

For a while now we've been talking about the opportunities between the worlds of publishing and video production. Books with accompanying videos. Apparently these things shall be called vooks. Go forth now, 10 points for the filmmaker and novelist who get joint funding from the Fremantle Press and ScreenWest to make W.A.'s first vook.

Futuretainment

2010-01-02T17:12:27Z

If you've not been keeping up to date with the changing media world, if the phrases cross media, new media, platform agnostic and multi-platform storytelling are totally foreign to you then you're joing the conversation a little late.

Not to fear, a great new book has just hit the shelves that provides a great overview of recent media changes, on top of it relevancy it's also extremely pretty with great design. Mike Walsh's 'Futuretainment' is a great book, even if your totally up to date with recent changes you'll appreciate the suncinct overview and nice layout.

You can find out more at the book's website or at Mike Walsh's blog.

Follow the White Rabbit

2010-01-02T05:20:37Z

Cherryflavour has highlighted an interesting promotional campaign that makes use of website interuptions, live street performance, social marketing and light grafitti to promote the latest adaptation of 'Alice in Wonderland'. Dive into their world.